A few months ago I wrote about gambling dens in Toronto circa 1910. Ernest Hemingway was, at the time, working for the Toronto Star. A man who always liked to make a bet, he called Toronto a “famous betting town.” If one knew where to look they could always find a dice game, a place to place a bet on a horse, or a card game at an illicit casino.
It seems things haven’t changed all that much. Writing in the Saturday Globe, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall investigates modern gambling dens. A gambling man himself, Bishop-Stall’s impressionistic account of one night playing poker is well worth the read. Learn about Sharlene, the language-school principal who buys shots for everyone when she wins and begs for credit when she loses; Rocco, the father of six who, it seems, has a dodgy past.
I encourage you to check it out. And, of course, feel free to revisit my piece: City of Chance.
